The Power of Youth

While many people agree and point out that children are our future, there is often a groan of disappointment in this statement. Young adults from the ages of 16-25 are often painted as lazy, unmotivated, good for nothing kids who would rather party then make a difference. That isn’t to say that some aren’t, I’m sure many are, but the past 12 months paint a very different picture.

In the past 12 months we’ve seen a huge rise in social awareness in youth as well as activism. From Occupy Wallstreet to fighting SOPA (Stop online Piracy Act) and the newest movement Kony 2012. Here we have hundreds of thousands of our youth fighting back against something they feel is wrong. Although we are giving it our best we are met with criticism at every turn.

As poor students gathered to “Occupy Wallstreet” their heavy duty commitment to the cause drew it’s fair share of scoffs. “Get a job” was a common jeer. Another backlash to the movement was the idea that people who were fighting for more equality were just lazy and looking for handouts. Even when people opposed the method, there was almost no constructive criticism. Here you have youth, going out of their way to physically create change in the only way they know how.

Then with the movement against SOPA you had again thousands of youth following the news for developments, lobbying their governments, raising awareness, signing petitions met with more criticism. The same criticism that Kony 2012 is receiving and there is a new word for it: “Slacktivism” The idea behind slacktivism being lazy activism. Critics laugh at the naivety of the youth that changing their facebook photo or sharing a video will change anything.

What I’m getting at, is that it’s there, there is passion and drive within this new generation to create change. Unfortunately this passion is being met negativity. These kids are interested and they are trying their best, they just have no idea how to create change. And it’s everyones responsibility to educate yes, but continue to encourage this passion.

After watching the documentaries “Chemerical” and “Garbage” both directed by Andrew Nisker I was absolutely blown away. There is something wrong with this world, and it’s only going to get worse until we intervene. What I love about both documentaries was it gave the information “Okay, so this is what’s wrong…” and then the most important part “…and this is how you can change it.” That is what makes the Kony 2012 campaign so popular. We want to create change, so tell us how.

People don’t realize how incredibly easy it is to start at home with reducing our carbon footprint as well as protecting ourselves from harmful chemicals in our cleaners and cosmetics. Not only is it easy, it’s also economical. The amount of money saved by creating your own detergent is mind blowing. The problem is this world is being drowned in garbage and chemicals, and those documentaries as well as many other articles can show you how to stop it.

Here it is: the call to action. Watch those documentaries, do your research, and start the change with yourself. Youth, you asked how you can make a change, and this is it.

In 2020 the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are “wired” differently from those over age 35 and overall it yields helpful results. They do not suffer notable cognitive shortcomings as they multitask and cycle quickly through personal- and work-related tasks. Rather, they are learning more and they are more adept at finding answers to deep questions, in part because they can search effectively and access collective intelligence via the internet. In sum, the changes in learning behavior and cognition among the young generally produce positive outcomes.

Some 42% agreed with the opposite statement, which posited:

In 2020, the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are “wired” differently from those over age 35 and overall it yields baleful results. They do not retain information; they spend most of their energy sharing short social messages, being entertained, and being distracted away from deep engagement with people and knowledge. They lack deep-thinking capabilities; they lack face-to-face social skills; they depend in unhealthy ways on the internet and mobile devices to function. In sum, the changes in behavior and cognition among the young are generally negative outcomes.”

Heather, you are bang on with your assessment of the past year in social media. We are in the early days of the internet and time will tell how we best utilize this amazing platform to transform our world. So far, it looks very promising. Thanks for this amazing blog!